(CNN) - It's been three hours and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is already getting hammered from the right over her vote to increase the debt ceiling.

Scott D'Amboise, a conservative Republican who's vying for Snowe's Senate seat, e-mailed his supporters Tuesday accusing the moderate three-term senator of having "lied to us."
"Just 25 days ago, Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe told us she would vote for a debt plan with a balanced budget amendment," D'Amboise writes in the fundraising letter. "However, today Snowe betrayed us by voting with the Democrats for a debt deal that gives President Obama a blank check in exchange for only token spending cuts and no promise for a balanced budget amendment."

Snowe and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint co-authored an editorial in the Wall Street Journal last month calling for a balanced budget amendment to be included in a debt ceiling deal. Forty-five other senators signed on to their call.

But Snowe voted on Tuesday to raise the debt ceiling, approving a bill that did not include a balanced budget amendment. Snowe was the last senator to vote on the deal and was seen huddling with Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the Republican whip, and other Republicans before voting aye.

While Snowe is clearly on record in support of a constitutional amendment that would require Congress to balance its budget, she's never said that she would not vote for a bill without such an amendment attached.

"She either lied or willingly mis-held how she was going to vote," Harber told CNN.

Snowe, a figure in Maine politics for more than 30 years, has more than $2.7 million of cash in the bank as of her June 30 filing with the Federal Election Commission. D'Amboise, who announced his candidacy earlier this year, has just $111,000.

soundoff(32 Responses)

Reggie from LA

Maybe Sen. Snowe didn't drink Norquist-aid. I can't believe grown men and women, supposedly smarter than the average bear, let that ideologue cast a "dumb spell" on them. He owns them and he owns you too if you believe in NO taxation. It was his childhood dream come true that everyone follow him. He even made them sign a pledge so he would own them. I guess that Ivy League MBA has them by the ba..s and brains. Well, in some cases, they are one in the same. Sen. Snowe uses the brain she was given. Well, kinda anyway.

August 2, 2011 06:23 pm at 6:23 pm |

Randy, San Francisco

So soon after the vote the purge for party purity begins....how small minded of the GOP/Tea Party. Snowe should join the Democrats.

August 2, 2011 06:48 pm at 6:48 pm |

Squigman

Sounds like the majority with common sense, are going to be held hostage by the extreme faction on the right. Wasn't too long ago, a certain president called attention to himself by declaring he was the decider. More like the divider.

August 2, 2011 07:04 pm at 7:04 pm |

Al-NY,NY

Senators Snowe and Collins are always ripped as RINO's but they keep getting elected. Too bad T-Tards. Go ahead and put one of your Borg clones up against either and watch them get destroyed. And I am a liberal

August 2, 2011 07:14 pm at 7:14 pm |

Proud Mainer

Senator Snowe works hard for all of us – and thinks about every issue. She will be re-elected by Mainers for as long as she's willing to serve

August 2, 2011 07:26 pm at 7:26 pm |

John in Brooklyn

Snowe did the right thing....finally. And, frankly, it serves her right as a Republican to have to constantly defend herself from the radical right.

August 2, 2011 08:02 pm at 8:02 pm |

Ron

I hate to admit it, but Sen. Snowe has more balls than most of the male republican members in the House and Senate.